5 Tips to Boost Heart Health

Our hearts play a major role in our bodies. They keep blood pumping through our veins and deliver oxygen to each of our cells. It’s crucial to keep this organ functioning properly so that our bodies work how we want them to. Below, you’ll find some tips to keep a healthy heart.

Make Better Food Choices For Heart Health:

Eating foods that are high in fiber and monounsaturated fats (instead of saturated fats) will help lower cholesterol levels. Cholesterol is a waxy compound needed in the body to cushion our vital organs, help form cell membranes, and make hormones (2). Our bodies naturally make the cholesterol they need. When levels get too high, it is because we are eating too much sugar, cholesterol, and/or saturated fat through food. Too much cholesterol in the blood can lead to plaque build-up in the arteries and eventually heart disease. Try incorporating more of these foods to promote a healthier heart:

Foods high in fiber:

• Beans
• Berries
• Edamame
• Chia seeds
• Artichoke hearts
• Pears
• Avocado
• Oats
• Sweet potato
• Apples
• Broccoli
• Brussel Sprouts

Foods high in monounsaturated (healthy) fats

• Olives & olive oil
• Avocado & avocado oil
• Nuts
• Pumpkin seeds
  
• Sesame seeds & sesame oil

Movement

Having an active lifestyle keeps you feeling energized and helps your heart grow stronger. The heart muscle grows just like any other muscle would grow in response to being worked harder. In fact, regular activity that increases your heart rate causes an increased need for blood to pump throughout the body. This causes the heart to work a little harder to get the blood where it needs to go. Over time, the heart is able to pump greater amounts of blood with fewer beats. This is how high blood pressure can be reduced.

Exercise also boosts your calorie burn. When we burn more calories than we eat, weight loss happens. We recommend getting at least 30 minutes of exercise each day to improve heart and body health. If weight loss is your goal, paying attention to what you eat and getting sufficient exercise are important factors to consider. 

Manage Your Weight for Heart Health

Keeping a healthy weight helps reduce the risk for heart disease (3). Being overweight or obese is a risk factor for getting heart disease (3). As mentioned above, paying attention to what you eat and getting plenty of movement each day are important steps to take when weight loss is a goal. Weight loss will also help reduce blood pressure and the overall strain on the heart. 

Manage Stress for Heart Health

Stress can lead to a variety of issues that affect our health. It can affect the quality of sleep we get, minimize our motivation to exercise, and cause irregular eating patterns. Stress can also lead to increased blood pressure. All of these factors affect the health of your heart. Managing our stress levels will help keep our hearts working as they should. 

Quit Smoking and Drink Alcohol in Moderation

Smoking is another major risk factor for heart disease. Because cigarettes are full of chemicals, each time one smokes it causes the blood to thicken. Thicker blood can lead to the formation of plaque and eventually heart disease. Alcohol on the other hand has more mixed results. Consuming alcohol in moderation has shown to be beneficial in improving heart disease risk (5). Drinking alcohol frequently is bad for our health since it can cause high blood pressure and heart failure (5). 

Adapted from Health.gov: Keep Your Heart Healthy.

Reference List

1. ​​Keep your heart healthy. https://health.gov/myhealthfinder/topics/health-conditions/heart-health/keep-your-heart-healthy. Accessed January 8, 2022. 
2. What is cholesterol? www.heart.org. https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/cholesterol/about-cholesterol. Accessed January 8, 2022. 
3. Weight: A silent heart risk. Johns Hopkins Medicine. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/weight-a-silent-heart-risk. Accessed January 8, 2022. 
4. Stress and your heart. www.heart.org. https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/stress-and-heart-health. Accessed January 8, 2022. 
5. Alcohol and your heart: Separating fact from fiction. Johns Hopkins Medicine. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/alcohol-and-heart-health-separating-fact-from-fiction. Accessed January 8, 2022.